Worcester acid attack on three-year-old boy as he sat in pram on family shopping trip could be linked to ‘community dispute’, police hint

Police have arrested four men in total - three this morning in London and one following the attack - after a three-year-old boy was sprayed with acid while sitting in his pram inside Home Bargains in Worcester

By Erica Doyle Higgins, Richard Wheatstone and Holly Christodoulou

23rd July 2018, 3:45 pm

Updated: 23rd July 2018, 7:15 pm

By Erica Doyle Higgins, Richard Wheatstone and Holly Christodoulou

Invalid Date,

COPS investigating after a three-year-old had acid hurled in his face while sat in his pram have hinted the horror was linked to "community dispute".

The toddler's desperate mum screamed "what have they done to my baby?" after thugs chucked the substance in Home Bargains in Worcester leaving him with serious burns.

He said: "The family are coming to terms with something that is quite shocking.

"It's a difficult time for them and we need to make sure that while we work through the investigation they are safe and secure and are allowed to deal with the issues that they face."

When asked about acid attacks in the UK, he added: "As a local policing commander in support of our local community I want to make sure the message is really clear that this is a very, very rare occurrence and what we will do is work to make people understand that this is not the way to resolve issues and disputes in communities."

It comes as the mum and boy are said to be "in shock" and are being looked after by police in a secret location, Mail Online reports.

A West Mercia Police source told the website: "The mother fears for her safety and well-being and that of her little boy. This is an unspeakable crime.

"Police also fear for the safety of the mother and child and they’ve been temporarily moved away from their home while our investigation continues. They are under police protection."

It is believed the substance used was an acid or an alkaline, police said, and the horror was caught on CCTV but this is not being released.

West Mercia Police confirmed the three men were arrested at the home in Walthamstow

Horrified witnesses described a woman screaming for help as a "skinny white guy" fled the shop.

One shocked onlooker told the Daily Mail the mum was later seen with her head in her hands screaming: "My baby, my baby, what have they done to my baby?"

The witness added: "She was in floods of tears and people from the shop were telling her they had called an ambulance and her child would be well looked after."

The child was rushed to hospital with serious burns but has since been discharged and is back with his family .

But police said the long-term effect of the toddler's injuries are not yet known.

Detective Inspector Tony Garner said: "We'd like to thank everyone who shared our appeal over the weekend and contacted us with information. All of this is helping us to build up a better picture of this incident.

Eyewitness Rachel Bryant, 22, said: "I'd been shopping with my mum and were heading to Home Bargains when there were loads of police and ambulances. I saw a woman crying and being comforted by police. I didn't know what it was all about.

"When I heard about the little boy being attacked with acid I couldn't believe it.

"It's horrendous to think something like this could happen to a little boy in the middle of a shop on a Saturday afternoon."

Cops were seen scouring bins and looking under cars yesterday as they continued hunting for the container used in the acid attack.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.